Kinder Morgan pipeline hearings a 'farce,' says former BC Hydro head
Marc Eliesen has withdrawn as an intervener, calling the process 'fraudulent'
The former head of BC Hydro, Marc Eliesen, has pulled out of the federal hearings on the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline project.
In a scathing letter to the National Energy Board, Eliesen calls the public hearing process around the project "a farce," noting the removal of the oral cross-examination phase.
"Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that the board, through its decisions, is engaged in a public deception," the letter states.
"Continued involvement with this process is a waste of time and effort, and represents a disservice to the public interest because it endorses a fraudulent process."
NDP environment critic Spencer Chandra-Herbert says it's time for a made-in-B.C. review of the project.
"I think the province should pull out of the Kinder Morgan process, and instead run our own environmental assessment process, where we can hold Kinder Morgan accountable and not let them get away without answering tough questions about their ability to respond to oil spills," he said.
Last week, Kinder Morgan asked a B.C. Supreme Court judge to stop protesters from blocking survey work on a new pipeline route through Burnaby Mountain.
- Read Marc Eliesen's full letter to the NEB. On mobile? Read it here.